KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Football League (MFL) hits back at critics who questioned their decision to enlist local production company, SpaceLabs Technology Sdn Bhd, to be their production partner for the 2021 M-League.
According to an MFL executive, who wished to remain anonymous, SpaceLabs was chosen ahead of MFL’s previous partner, IDEAL Systems, through an open tender process, which saw numerous production companies pitch for the contract last year.
IDEAL Systems, whose list of clients include CNN, LinkedIn, Astro, Fox Sports and Singtel, were among the top companies, along with SpaceLabs and IMG, who pitched their production services for the M-League to the MFL board of directors.
Having secured a contract worth RM32 million from MFL, SpaceLabs drew criticism from the football fraternity, who questioned the football body’s decision to award the partnership to a relative newcomer within the production industry.
“SpaceLabs were chosen ahead of the rest because they had the best proposal, which was aligned to what we wanted for the next season. With SpaceLabs on board, MFL will save approximately RM5-6 million in the next 3 years.
“In unprecedented times such as these, we all want to save money and it is good if we are able to, especially when it comes to keeping the organisation afloat,” said the executive.
He went on to say that MFL left no stone unturned as they conducted a thorough background check on SpaceLabs, adding that the football body met with all the company directors and scrutinised every detail before arriving at a decision.
“Of course, we are professionals, and we will not do business without first performing our due diligence. It’s business ethics, which is something MFL follows effectively,” he said when contacted by The Vibes.
Earlier, The Vibes reported that MFL could be in for a shady business deal with SpaceLabs as the production company did not only possess a highly dubious registered business address, it had yet to house itself in a proper office space.
In an investigation conducted by The Vibes, it was revealed that the Spacelabs office was in a condominium at the Link 2 residence in Bukit Jalil while its registered business address belonged to a tailoring shop in Jalan Pasar.
“SpaceLabs’ office is under renovation in Bukit Jalil, where they will operate from a small studio. We know this because it was the first question we asked when SpaceLabs presented their pitch to us. The address located in a condominium is just temporary.
“We have informed SpaceLabs to invite the media and the stakeholders for the opening of their official business premise,” he said.
The MFL executive added that although they are new to the industry, SpaceLabs is a Malaysian-owned production company with a collective experience of over 30 years based on the individuals involved.
“At times like these, when businesses are failing due to the fallout from the pandemic, we are offering homegrown companies, such as SpaceLabs, the opportunity to prove themselves and we will work closely to ensure that quality is maintained.
“We are starting our trial run in the next few weeks before the M-League kicks-off at the end of February.
When the Vibes asked about the 20% upfront payment requested by SpaceLabs, the executive said that it is normal for production companies to ask for a certain percentage upfront, adding that even IDEAL had done the same thing.
“There is no reason to be alarmed as we believe that SpaceLabs can deliver and MFL will be on their back to make sure that they do.
“There are certain individuals who are always pointing fingers at MFL and trying their best to find something negative to say. We are not worried about that because in our business, priority is given to the football fans as they come first for us. We want to give the fans the best,” the MFL executive said.
The M-League is expected to kick-off on February 28 but due to the current battle the nation is waging with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a high chance that it could be postponed to a later date.
“We are having several discussions with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on this matter, but nothing has been decided yet. For now, we are on track to start football season in February,” he concluded. ─ The Vibes, January 20, 2021.
